Chocolate Mousse Raspberry Parfaits – Low Carb and Gluten-Free

When I was 15, my family took a summer vacation to France. We stayed in a little village in Provence and made day trips to surrounding little villages and towns, to Cannes, and to any other scenic sites that caught my parents fancy. Being all of 15, I would have of course preferred to lounge by the pool, but for the most part I went gamely along on all of our little explorations. We toured wineries and museums, and ate lovely lunches and dinners in sidewalk cafes. I can say with great confidence that we ate our way through the South of France, and I loved every second of it. It was my first exposure to a number of new foods, like calamari (loved it!), braised rabbit (not a fan, when it came out with the head still on), and escargot (nope, my 15 year old self just couldn’t do it). And I ate copious amounts of my already-beloved chocolate mousse. Everywhere we went, I ordered mousse for dessert. I came back to Canada a good 5 lbs heavier; it was the first time in my life that I had ever gained any weight.

Chocolate mousse has steadfastly remained one of my all-time favourite desserts. Who among us can pass up that airy but insanely rich and creamy concoction? It seems like magic, the way heavy eggs and cream can become so light. It’s dangerous precisely because of this light texture…it’s far too easy to pack back a bowl of it and think it wasn’t enough, only to discover 20 minutes later that you are too full. Portion control is very difficult when it comes to chocolate mousse. And my darling children seem to bear the same affliction. They go nuts when I make mousse, and hang about like little parasites, begging to lick the bowl and beaters. What sacrifices mothers make, giving up the joy of licking the mousse bowl and beaters out of love for her children.

We went raspberry picking a few weekends ago and on the drive up, I was mulling over ways to use them. I’d been craving a really rich, decadent dessert and only chocolate would fit the bill. I wondered aloud if I should make chocolate mousse to go with our fresh-picked berries and, had you been in our car, you might have gone deaf with the cheers from the backseat. All three kids were unanimously in favour of a chocolate mousse/raspberry concoction and were oh-so-willing to help in the preparations for that nights dinner (dessert!). We decided to make one large, crisp chocolate cookie to sprinkle into our bowls as well, so we could call it a parfait.

It made a wonderful, indulgent dessert. The rich creaminess of the mousse, the crispity-crunch of the cookies, and the sweet freshness of the berries was mind-blowingly good. Perhaps even deadlier than the many bowls of mousse I ate in France. Hey, at least mine are low carb and sugar-free!

For the mousse, in a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter and chocolate together, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm.

In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks together until smooth. When chocolate is lukewarm, whisk in egg yolks. Mixture will become very thick and chocolate will seize. Add 2 tablespoons of hot water and whisk vigorously. Continue to add 1 tbsp water at a time until chocolate mixture becomes smooth (will still be quite thick). Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat egg whites with ¼ cup powdered Swerve, the salt and the cream of tartar until they hold stiff peaks but are not dry.

In another bowl, beat cream with remaining Swerve and the vanilla until it holds soft peaks.

Stir a couple of large spoonfuls of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Then carefully fold the chocolate mixture back into the egg whites. Fold in the cream thoroughly but gently. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

For the cookies, preheat the oven to 300F.

In a large bowl, combine almond flour, cocao powder, erythritol, baking powder and salt. Add in egg, butter, and vanilla extract and stir well until dough comes together.

Place dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll to about 1/8 inch thick. Lift off top piece of parchment and place on a large baking sheet.

Bake until firm, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove and let cool completely. Break up with hands into small pieces.

To assemble parfaits, place a few tablespoons of mousse at the bottom of each serving dish. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoons of cookie crumbs and then a handful of berries.

Top with another layer of mousse, cookie crumbs and berries.

Serve immediately. All parts of the parfaits can be stored separately up to 48 hours, but don't assemble until just before serving, as the cookie crumbs may get soggy.

You will probably end up with too much cookie crumb for the parfaits. It's great the next day as cereal for the kids!

Recipe Notes

Serves 8. Each serving has 14 g of carbs and 7 g of fiber (if you end up using all of the cookie crumbs). Total NET CARBS = 7 g.

Nutritional Disclaimer

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program.
I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them.
I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

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Aha! I spy the same cookie recipe as the icebox cake wafers. I made these yesterday but had to use a food processor to make the dough come together. Also, I made them twice as tall as I should have because I checked too late to see what 1/8 of an inch looks like. I don’t think they got as crumbly as they should have (I undercooked them because I was in a hurry) but I still suspect they won’t last too long in my house.

As for the mousse, it does sound like something I want to try, but doesn’t that involve raw/undercooked eggs? I thought we were all supposed to be terrified of salmonella or something 😐

Were you using Honeyville almond flour? It shouldn’t have needed a food processor to get the dough to come together, unless you were using almond meal instead of almond flour. As for the raw eggs, Safest Choice eggs puts out pasteurized shell eggs that are perfect for mousse. You have to whip the egg whites for a lot longer before they stabilize, and they need to be at room temperature before you even try to whip them.

Hi Carolyn-
I asked a question about ramekin size for the molten PB cakes on that post, but haven’t heard a response in a few days. I’m trying to make these for my PB loving DH’s bday dinner tonight. I thought maybe I could catch you here. Is a “small” ramekin more like 5 oz or more like 8 oz? I ordered a few on amazon but am afraid I ordered the wrong size. I have to run out to the store shortly so I am hoping to figure it out in case I need to round up some different ramekins. Thanks, Carolyn!

I don’t think that comment came through before because I don’t remember seeing it. anyway, my little ones are about 3.5 inches in diameter, 2 inches deep and only hold about 1/2 cup of water. Definitely more like the 5 oz ones.

Thanks, Carolyn! I was able to find them at my local grocery on a quick trip out today so all is well. I’m a long time erythritol user and bought Swerve for the first time to use in this recipe. Should be fun!

OMG this looks so yummy. Love your site and recipes. I’ve just recently went back to Atkins and found your site. Hope you don’t mind I’ve added your site to one that I follow. If that is a problem let me know and I’ll remove it.
Thanks for all the wonderful recipes and your pictures make you want to lick the screen. LOL
Donna

Beautiful mousse!…Here in France..I’ve heard of whipping chilled regular full-fat condensed milk to “lighten” things up just a tad…Is this feasible?…Or using organic silken tofu?….I do not wish to damage the integrity of your generous share, because the texture looks perfect.

I just recently found your website and I am loving it! I was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes after having gestational diabetes and as a self proclaimed foodie I was finding it hard. Thanks for your recipes and introducing me to Swerve.

Thank you again for another great recipe. I love the taste though I did have an issue with its consistency, I followed the recipe to the t but the mousse came out a little too runny and not airy. Most of the mousse recipes online don’t call for egg yolks could that be the reason? Your input is greatly appreciated.

No, it wouldn’t be the egg yolks and this recipe is adapted from Mark Bittman, who uses egg yolks. I’ve made chocolate mousse according to this recipe countless times. Could be a few things. What sweetener did you use? And it’s possible that you thinned the chocolate mixture too much after it seized.

Thank you for the reply. I’ve used powdered swerve and around 6 tbsp for the chocolate. I’ll try using a bit less next time and try beating the whites a bit firmer and see how it goes. Also do you recommend pouring the mousse into individual servings prior to refrigeration? I didn’t do that and the top of the mousse is nice and airy and bottom is runny. Thanks again for your input!

No, I refrigerated mine in one big bowl. Hmmm, just not sure but yes, beat both your egg whites and your cream a little firmer if you make it again, and use only about 4 tbsp extra liquid in the chocolate.

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Looking for the best low carb recipes? You've come to the right place! I'm Carolyn, a major carnivore and an unrepentant sweet tooth. Here you will find all you need to enjoy the low carb keto lifestyle to the fullest! Read more